My Scottish Power Fiasco

[eriko1]

I moved into new rented house, I called & gave the start meter readings, my name & emai & phone number to SP, I requested a contract & standing order mandate to be sent in the post for me to sign & return & asked for the cheapest online tariffs.

 

3 years & 5 months later I still have not received anything in my name from SP, what I have received are many letters (possibly bills?) addressed to someone else, all of which I returned to SP "not known at this address. I have called them 4 times speaking to different operators all promising to help & put me through to the right department but nothing happened & I was left on hold or cut off.

 

I complained in writing to SP only to receive a computer generated standard letter from their fictitious Lynda Clayton giving me a complaint number & promising they would investigate. Nothing was done.

 

I broke the law & opened one of the mystery letters & managed to pay one of the accounts in full.

 

I came home one day to find that SP has visited the house, they had tried but failed to break in, & changed both gas & electricity credit meters for pre payment versions.

 

I complained in writing again to SP. Same computer letter & empty promises.

 

For the last 17 months I have been paying for my energy upfront using a card & key. Each week when I load £10 onto the gas meter it deducts £6 average for an unproven alleged & estimated debt.

 

SP then tried to transfer the alleged gas debt over to the electricity account & tried to deduct monies from that meter as well.

 

I have received a letter & an email from SP only after the intervention of the Observer newspaper (Funny that !) again promising to investigate - but still nothing.

 

I have complained to the energy ombudsman but thus far not much action from them either.

 

Does anyone have any ideas as to how I should proceed ?

 

Informally I have been advised to hire a solicitor & sue them. I am told that they are likely to be guilty of, breach of contract, mis selling, false accounting, maladministration, fraud, deception, criminal damage, trespass, theft, abuse of power, slander, I am sure there will be more . .

 

Regards.

[unclebulgaria67]

I suspect you don't have any contract with SP and never have had. The original meter number which has been replaced with prepayment meters, is still registered against someone elses name. The warrant to force entry was applied for using the name of the other person registered for the debt/supply.

 

If i am correct, you don't exist as far as SP are concermed, apart from communications where you have attempted to be their customer.

 

Have you sent SP a copy of the tenancy agreement showing when you moved in and copies of previous correspondence with them ? If not, i would suggest you do so and also copy to the energy ombudsman. Make sure you include the original meter reference number and the full correct postal address of your property.

[BankFodder]

Apart from anything else, I would send them an SAR. It will be very telling if they refuse to comply with it on the basis that it is not your data. If they do comply with it and it will be interesting to see what they provide you with – and also what is omitted.

 

This is the first step for anybody who is taking on the utilities companies.

 

 

Can you tell us more detailed information about the whole thing please. It would be helpful if you could laid out in a structured chronology – bullet pointed.

 

It will be extremely useful to know more about the entry onto your property. Are you aware of any warrants?

 

Maybe you could post up here your complaint to the ombudsman. When this is complaint made and what precisely has happened so far?

 

You talk about getting a solicitor. There is no point in doing this. You will only incur costs and you can probably take much more effective and more aggressive action by doing this yourself with our help